A collection of reviews of films from off the beaten path; a travel guide for those who love the cinematic world and want more than the mainstream releases.

Monday, June 5, 2017

Contemporary Philippine Cinema at MoMA: Clash

So,
you think Donnie Trump is an authoritarian? Well then, what do you make of
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte? This would be the former Davao City mayor
who made of practice of reading lists of alleged criminals over the radio, many
of whom were subsequently murdered by extralegal death squads. To be fair, the
alleged vigilante killings predated the anti-American demagogue’s term as
mayor, as did this searing dramatic expose. Timelier than ever, Pepe Diokno’s Clash screens during
MoMA’s ongoing film series, A New Golden Age: Contemporary Philippine Cinema.

Richard
is the older teen brother who wants out of the gangster life. Raymond is his
younger teen brother, who wants in. Frankly, Richard may have waited too long.
His gang has been decimated by their rivals and the death squad has publicly
targeted him. The plan is to catch a boat to Manila with his prostitute
girlfriend Jenny-Jane. However, he will have to raise 1,000 pesos for their
fare. He would also like to set Raymond back on the straight-and-narrow before
leaving, but his brother has already fallen under the sway of his nemesis,
Tomas. All the while, Mayor Danilo Dularte Suarez’s blustery propaganda
speeches blare out from every radio, like a veritable Big Brother.

Barely
reaching the one-hour mark (including every last closing credit), Clash should still be considered a fully
developed feature. Arguably, Diokno combines the social conscience of Brillante
Mendoza with the snarling grit of Erik Matti’s noirs (such as On the Job, also included in MoMA’s
series). Restless in the extreme, Diokno’s disorienting handheld hops from
person to person like Linklater’s Slacker,
but in need of a tetanus shot and some serious deodorant. Sometimes the
shaky-cam is just too much, but the sense of urgency is always palpable.

This
is a violent, predatory world, where anything could happen to anyone at any
time, especially someone like Richard, who arguably has it coming. The conflict
between brothers takes on almost Biblical symbolism, but they are based on real
life siblings Diokno met while conducting research. Indeed, Clash is the sort of film where there
does not seem to be any acting going on. Yet, that is rather a tribute to Felix
Roco and Daniel Medrana, who are utterly convincing as Richard and Raymond,
respectively. Eda Nolan similarly gives a brave yet completely natural and
unaffected performance as Jenny-Jane.

We sort of know where Clash is headed, but not quite. There is an inescapable logic to
the finale, but it still will turn your guts to ice. This is a powerful,
pungent film that expresses Diokno’s rage at the dysfunctional political and
legal systems that have continued unchecked since the film’s initial release in
2009. In fact, they have produced the nation’s president. Intense and
unforgiving, Clash screens with the
prison documentary Bunso this
Thursday (6/8) and Friday the 23rd, as part of MoMA’s Philippine
film series.